Dear pastor friend. This is a simple, friendly reminder that it’s Labor Day Weekend. Now, I don’t want to make any assumtpoins. Maybe yesterday at your church you had a record attendance. If so, praise the Lord – you should write a book or something. But maybe, just maybe, you had a bit lower attendance than normal (by “a bit” I mean “a ton”). If that’s you, I’m here with good news. Don’t freak out, it’s Labor Day Weekend.

Now, I realize I’m not bringing you a profound truth here. You already know it’s Labor Day Weekend. But if you’re like me, sometimes even though you know attendance might be down a bit, it still bothers you. So, I just want to encourage to let go of the fear of the demonic “holiday weekend.” Here are two things to remember.

1. It’s okay, let them go. Your folks are going to travel. They’ll go to the beach, the lake, the mountains, or maybe even France. There’s nothing you can do to stop it. And it’s okay. Release the stress you have about it. And please, don’t be “that pastor” that berates your people for taking time away. They’re going, get used to it. Learn to live with it. Be okay with it. Smile about it.

2. Preach like it’s Easter. Don’t you dare skimp on your sermon. Study, pray, plan, and prepare like it’s Easter Sunday! I remember playing football. Sometimes we had to run a million laps. I think that’s right, at least a million. Occasionally, I would run a lap with half the effort if I knew the coaches weren’t watching. Sometimes we think since fewer people are in attendance it’s okay to do our job halfway. It’s not. God is always watching!

So, I’m sure this post is only for me. The rest of you awesome pastors had record attendance at your church yesterday. Please tell me your secret! And later, I’ll ask you to sign my Bible. But for now, just remember, if the crowd was a bit smaller yesterday, don’t freak out, it’s Labor Day Weekend!